TWO ATV vehicles were recovered after being stolen from an event in Ringwood.

A designated named officer (DNO) discovered tyre marks matching the descriptions of two stolen all-terrain vehicles.

After 12 hours of searching, the vehicles were found abandoned in nearby woodland.

A spokesperson for Ringwood Police said: “Last night in the hours of darkness 2x ATV vehicles were stolen from a local event. Your Ringwood officers, using their local knowledge, launched an immediate investigation.

Salisbury Journal:

“The Ringwood DNO located some vehicle tyre marks across wet grassland and followed the clues across fields and into woodland.

“Within 12 hours of the report, they were recovered by police. The location was in dense woodland and was concealed from the general public.

“One happy owner is now reunited with them, and we have some forensic investigation work to submit to our lab.”

A spokesperson for Secured By Design, the police security initiative, said: “Theft of plant and machinery from construction sites, the plant hire industry, and farms has been increasing.

“Machinery has been left on construction sites unsecured and vulnerable during the disruption of the industry over the past year.

“Remember, the best security is a layered approach with the aim of making your property a less attractive target to thieves.”